Toilet dispenser



March 6, 1962 E. s. NEAL TOILET DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 13, 1960 38 Fig 5 Ear/ 5. Neal INVENTOR. BY 2mm WW 5M March 6, 1962 Filed April 15, 1960 E. S. NEAL TOILET DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ea/l 5. Neal INVENTQR.

United States Patent Office 3,023,426 Patented Mar. 6, 1962 3,023,426 TGILET DISPENSER Earl S. Neal, 549 Anderson St., San Francisco, Calif. Filed Apr. 13, 1960, Ser. No. 22,047 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-228) This invention relates to dispensers and more particularly to a dispenser adapted to be used in the water tank of a water closet for discharging predetermined quantities of a substance into the water of the flush tank.

There have been prior dispensers for discharging a metered quantity of liquid in response to a particular mechanical operation. This dispenser in accordance with the invention provides improvements over all previous dispensers in the simplicity of construction and the certainty of correct operation and reasonably precise individual quantities which are discharged during the successive cycles of operation.

Briefly, a dispenser in accordance with the invention is composed of a receptacle with a discharge opening registered with a special valve. The valve is buoyant or made buoyant by an attachment thereto, and the movement of the valve is constrained. When the liquid level in the tank lowers, the valve automatically lowers to allow liquid to flow from a container and into a compartment in the valve. By having a particular arrangement of the compartmented valve with the discharge port of the container, only a predetermined quantity of liquid is allowed to flow from the container. Then, when the water level again rises in the flush tank, the valve becomes elevated since it is buoyant, and the elevation of the valve is accompanied by penetration of a portion of the container in the compartment of the valve thereby spilling the contents of the valve compartment over the sides thereof so that the liquid spilled from the compartment falls into the water of the flush tank. An important feature of the invention is found in an adjustment for the extent of travel of the valve. This adjustment permits the amount of liquid discharged from the container to be regulated in accordance with the desires of the user. This, ordinarily, will be a matter of personal choice and the type of liquid discharged from the container. The liquid may be a soap, a detergent, a deodorant, a bleach, or combination of any two, a combination of the three or a liquid combining the action thereof. It is pointed out that an important function of the dispenser is to (a) clean, (b) deodorize and (c) bleach. Further these actions take place in the toilet bowl and flush tank interior which is ordinarily rarely cleaned.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and satisfactorily operative dispenser attachment for a toilet flush tank or the like which functions in response to changes in water level of the tank to discharge a metered quantity of liquid into the water of the tank.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subseqeuntly apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser which merely diagrammatically represents the principles of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the dispenser in FIG- URE 1, portions being omitted.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 but showing the dispenser mounted in a conventional flush tank.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged diagrammatic sectional view showing the functioning of the valve mechanism of the dispenser.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic sectional view showing another step in the functioning of the valve mechanism.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic sectional viewshowing a further step in the functioning of the valve mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings there is an illustration of a flush tank 10 having a cover 12 and water 14 in the flush tank. A flush tank is selected as the preferred environment for use of dispenser '16, although this use is not exclusionary.

When used in a flush tank, the dispenser is equipped with a holder comprising a hook 1 8 at the upper end of a flat shank 20. which is attached to a cage basket or frame structure 22. The basket has a rim 24 (FIGURE 1) with side members 26 and 28 attached thereto and depending therefrom. Members 30 and 32 are also secured to the rim, and shank 20 forms an upstanding extension of member 30. The upper extremity of member 32 has a curved end 36 which functions as a'resilient clip or clamp when it grips over the bottom 37 of a container 38 in the form of an inverted bottle.

A tube 40 is secured to the lower end of the four members 26, 28, 30 and 32 and receives the neck 42 of container 38. Tube 40 functions as a device for restraining the movement of a compartmented metering valve 44, the latter being arranged to reciprocate in the tube as shown by comparison of FIGURES 5, 6 and 7.

A'closure 46 is screw threaded or otherwise attached to the lower open end of neck 42, and it has a central port 48. This port has the substance of container 38 passed therethrongh and into compartment or measuring dispensing cup 50 of valve 44,'during the dispensing operation. I i

Valve 44 is buoyant or made buoyant. It is in the form of a cylinder 52 having a transverse 54 between the ends thereof. The upper compartment 50 is defined by a portion of wall 52 and partition 54. The lower part of the wall 52 provides an inverted socket 61 (FIGURE 7) and has a lightweight buoyant ball 56 engaged therewith, for instance by bearing against a partially spherical seat 58 formed at the lower edge of wall 52. A table tennis ball has been successfully used for the purpose of providing the necessary buoyancy, but it is clearly evident that the ball may be omitted in favor of other techniques for making valve 44 buoyant. For instance, the space beneath wall 54 and circumscribed by the lower part of side wall 52 may be closed to form a liquid tight cavity.

The cross-section of compartment 50' is of a shape similar to the cross-section of neck 42 but slightly larger so that there is clearance 60 between the outer surface of neck 42 and the inner surface of compartment 50 when the valve compartment 50 partially encircles the neck 42 and closure 46.

A valve member 64, for instance a resilient disk, is attached to partition wall 54 and located in compartment 50. The purpose of the Valve member 64 is to seal port 48 when the valve is in the closed position (FIGURE 7).

A stroke adjustment is incorporated in dispenser 16 to limit the downward movement of the valve 44. The stroke adjustment consists of a screw 66 threaded in a tapped opening 68 in a transverse cross member 70 at the lower end of tube 40, and the purpose of the adjustment is to regulate the amount of liquid dispensed on each operation. The screw supports a seat 72 at its upper end, and the seat functions as a stop limiting the downward movement of the valve 44 by engagement of the ball 56 with the seat 72. Other means to serve the same purpose may be adopted.

In operation it is assumed that the flush tank contains a proper quantity of water 14. The dispenser is attached to the wall of the flush tank by hook 18, and to stabilize the dispenser, one or more suction cups 19 may be secured to the basket and/or tube 40. The suction cup (FIGURE 3) engages the inside surface of one of the Walls of the flush tank. With the Water level at a predetermined height, valve 44 is elevated as shown in FIGURE 5 since the valve is buoyant.

During a normal flushing operation the water 14 will be lowered in the tank enabling the buoyant valve 44 to become lowered. When lowered, liquid will flow through ports 48 and enter compartment 50. As soon as the compartment becomes filled, air cannot enter port 48 since the level of liquid in compartment 50 reaches and touches port 48 (FIGURE 6). Consequently, the flow of liquid from the container 38 will discontinue.

Then, as the water 14 is replenished in tank 10, buoyant valve 44 will again be elevated causing the liquid in compartment 50 to be displaced by the neck 42 which enters the compartment 50. The displaced liquid flows in the space 60 and is commingled or mixed with the water of the flush tank. When valve 44 is elevated (FIG. 7) member 64 closes port 48 thereby sealing off the liquid in the receptacle from the Water 14 to prevent fusion of the liquids in the receptacle and tank 10 during the time that the toilet is not undergoing a flush operation.

The preceding description of one form of the inven tion is given by way of example only. Numerous modifications may be resorted to without departing from the invention. For example, the basket may be omitted and some other means resorted to for attaching tube 40 to the bottle. The container need not be separate from tube 40both of them may be made of plastic and in one piece.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed- What is claimed as new is as follows: 1. A dispenser comprising a holder for mounting in a flush tank, said holder including a cage and a tube depending therefrom, a fluid container comprising an inverted bottle mounted in the cage and including a discharge neck extending into the tube, a measuring dispensing cup slidable in the tube and operable on the neck for barometrically controlling the discharge of fluid from the container, means for actuating the cup in response to the rise and fall of the level of water in the flush tank, and means for regulating the fall of the cup relatively to the neck for varying the quantity of fluid dispensed, the second-named means comprising a bar traversing the tube, a screw threaded for vertical adjustment in said bar, and a seat on said screw receiving the float thereon for adjustably supporting said float and the cup in the tube.

2. A dispenser comprising a holder for mounting in flush tank, said holder including a cage and a tube depending therefrom, a fluid container comprising an inverted bottle mounted in the cage and including a discharge neck extending into the tube, a measuring dispensing cup slidable in the tube and operable on the neck for barometrically controlling the discharge of fluid from the container, means for actuating the cup in response to the rise and fall of the level of water in the flush tank, and means for regulating the fall of the cup relatively to the neck for varying the quantity of fluid dispensed, said cup including a depending, inverted socket comprising a seat in its lower end portion, the first-named means including a spherical float operable in the tube and engaged with the seat, the second named means comprising a bar traversing the tube, a screw threaded for vertical adjustment in said bar, and a seat on said screw for receiving the float thereon for adjustably supporting said float and the cup in the tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,006 Hill Feb. 18, 1896 1,107,393 Williams Aug. 18, 1914 1,208,894 Bates Dec. 19, 1916 1,327,686 Rose Ian. 13, 1920 2,065,181 French Dec. 22, 1936 2,123,737 Lewis July 12, 1938 2,913,734 OHare Nov. 24, 1959 

